Automatic gate-hinge



UNITED STATES PATENT rricn.

VESLEY HULL, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA.

AUTOMATIC GATE-HINGE.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 293,327, dated February 12, 1884.

Application filed March es, ieee. (Model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WEsLnTHULL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Wayne, in the county of Allen and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Iniprovenient in Automatic Gate Hinges, of which the following is a specification.

My .invention relates to that class of gatehinges which act to close the gate 'by means of their own gravitation; and it consists in arranging upon the upper leaf of a hinge a curved plate extending out at right angles therewith, which rests upon the semicircular arm of a closing device, having a projection on one side of the inclined arm thereof, which rests upon the upper surface of an annular cam extending out from the knuckle of the lower leaf of the hinge. The tapering end of said inclined arm. extends through said annular cain, while the shoulder upon its side rests upon said cam at such au angle as to cause the gate to close by means of its own weight,

which will hereinafterbe niorefully set forth, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front view of 'the hinge when closed. Fig. 2 is an oblique view of the hinge when opened in a line with its closed position. Fig. 3 is an oblique view of thelower leaf. Fig. 4 is an oblique view of the upper leaf. Fig. 5 is a view ofthe closing device. Fig. 6

l is aplan view of the upper surface of the closing device. Fig. 7 shows the stops on the inner edge of the two leaves and the guides extending below. Y

In the construction of my hinge, as usual, I employ two leaves, Yconnected together, and provided with screw-holes for attaching leaf A to the post, and the upper or leaf B to the upper end of the gate. As the lower hinge is only intended to keep the gate in position and ted. To the front of leaf B, at right angles therewith, is secured the horizontal curvedplate P, with flange D, to strengthen it on its upper edge, which extends beyond the inner edgeof said leaf, and in front of the lower leaf, A, said plate being curved to permit it to swing clear of said leaf in opening and closing, when the two leaves are connected together by means of the pintle of the leaf A passing through the socket F of the leaf B, as seen in Fig. 1, the right-angled plate P resting upon the upper surface of the horizontal arni H of the closing device, while the base or projection U of the inclined arn11 rests upon the upper surface of the annular cam or drum O, extending out from the knuckle K of the lower leaf of the hinge. The upper surface of saiddruni from near the knuckle of the hinge inclinesdown tothe rear of said drum, so that when the gate is opened it carries around the right-angled plate, which rests upon the upper surface of said device, carrying it forward and around in opening the gate, and with it carrying around and forward projection U, increasing the relative inclination of the closing device, and thereby its power on the gate to close it, aided by the inclined surface of the drum. On the front of leaf VB is an inclined rib, R, curving down to the edge of said leaf, with reverse curve at its lower end, to prevent the closing device from passing beyond it. This rib not only acts as a `guide for the closing device through notch V in its edge, but, after passing over gprojection E on the side, said rib, as seen 1n Fig. 4, acts to lock f the gate open when desired by opening it back in a line with its closed position, as seen in Fig. 2, when a slight pull will release it, allowing it to close, as usual. As it is not necessary to open the gate that distance in. general use, and as it will close from all other points,

there is no danger of it remaining open when not desired. The upper surface, J, of the closing device is approximately S-curved at and near its outer edge, as seen in Fig. 6, so as always to sustain the right-angled plate P in the rear of the base of said device sufficient to `close the gate, and when closed sustain thc weight near notch Vin its edge. The curved underhanging stay S under the corner of the right-angled plate l?, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2, is intended to ret-ain the closing device in prop er position when in operation and at rest, and

the lower end of said stay should be curved in sufficient to prevent the disengagement of the closing device; or it can be curved or arched over to the socket and secured to it, and the closing device, at its outer edge, dressed off sufcient to allow the end to enter said stay and operate therein. I intend to adopt this form instead of that of more recent date shown in drawings. The pintle of leaf A, after passing up through the socket of leaf B, should have its upper end riveted down, to prevent the separation of the hinge, and the long tapering end T of the closing device, which passes through the annular cam, is intended to be of' such a length asnot to allow the disengagement of the closing device, and also acting as a guide to it when in operation.

I do not claim, broadly, a gatehinge witha right-angled plate, or a closing device with a horizontal and Vertical bar, as this is covered by patent of December 27, 1881, but one involving the same principle, yet differing in its general construction, whereby better results are obtained at less expense of manufacturing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatic gate-hinge, the leaf B and right-angled plat-e l?, with open lower surface, having on its under outer corner a downward-projecting stay, with lower end curved inward and upward to retain the closing devicein position, in combination with said stay, and the end of the closing device shaped to enter the orifice formed by said stay and allow the free operation of the closing device therein and upon the under surface of said plate, substantially as and for the purpose specified. 2. In an automatic gate-hinge, the leaf A, With drum O, having inclined upper surface, in combination with the long tapering end of the closing device and the projection U on the side of the inclined arm thereof, substantially as and for the purpose set forth and described.

3. In an autolnatic gate-hinge, the curved horizontal arm of the closing device with notchv V in its outer edge, in combination with rib R and projection E ouleaf '13, which enter said notch in the closing device and guide it in the act of opening and closing` the gate, substantially as specified. p

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WTESLEY HULL. Witnesses: v

FRANCIS SoLLIER, FRANCIS SORDIER. 

